This Chapter applies to all lands under Williamson Act contract in the County of Humboldt. It requires an owner of contracted land to provide a written disclosure statement whenever the real property is sold, transferred or divided, that identifies the existence of a Williamson Act contract on the land and explains briefly that the land is bound by certain rules and regulations, both state and local, that govern lands under Williamson Act contract in Humboldt County. This Chapter does not apply to immediate family transfers or mortgages.

The purpose of this Chapter is to alert new purchasers of contracted land to the existence of Williamson Act restrictions that enforceably bind the land and its uses. It is not intended to comprehensively describe every restriction on every preserve, but rather is intended to inform new purchasers of the general existence of restrictions on the land to which they are a successor in interest. Despite the fact that the Williamson Act contract legally runs with the land, many new purchasers are not aware of the existence of the Williamson Act restrictions on the land. Enforcement issues have developed for the county when new purchasers do not fully understand that the land they just purchased must be used for the commercial production of agriculture or that it is subject to other use restrictions, including restrictions on residences under the Williamson Act.

This Chapter provides a mechanism for a seller of contracted land to document that the new purchaser has been made aware of the existence of the Williamson Act restrictions. (Ord. 2356, § 1, 1/3/2006; repealed and reenacted by Ord. 2367, §§ 1 & 2, 7/25/2006)